Process & Procedures

  • Court appoints Dr. Zieman as your 11-706 Expert Witness/Evaluator
  • Each parent completes extensive background questionnaires
  • Each parent is interviewed regarding recent history & issues (3 hr. interview)
  • Other adults in the child(ren)’s homes are interviewed
  • All adults complete psychological tests
  • Parent-child(ren) observations are done with the members of each parent household
  • Each school-age child is interviewed when in the care of each parent
  • Major documents are reviewed (e.g. coparent texts/emails, police reports, CYFD data, report cards)
  • Data is gathered from major external sources (e.g. therapists, teachers, grandparents)
  • Each parent is interviewed about their ideas for the future parenting plan

Reports To The Court

  • A detailed psychological report is written
  • A full, detailed parenting plan (ready for court adoption) is written
  • A meeting is held with the attorneys to present the two documents

Fees

  • Each parent – from $2,300 to $3,200 (consult downloadable detailed description)
  • Other adult frequently in child(ren)’s home – Parent fee minus $1,000
  • Each infant/preschooler – $1,900
  • Each child kindergarten to age 11 – $2,200
  • Each child ages 12-17 – $2,500
  • Collateral children present in a parent home (such as step/half siblings)
    • $300 per preschooler
    • $450 per child
    • $600 per pre-teen/adolescent
    • $900 per young adult (if continuous home resident)
  • Extra fees arise when
    • Documentation review is >1.5 hr.
    • The child(ren) have an appointed GAL
    • There are extensive external sources to interview
    • Appointments are late cancelled or missed

Payment

  • The Court defines what portion of the fees each parent is to pay
  • To start, each parent pays ½ of their estimated responsibility as a retainer
  • At the end of data collection each parent pays the remaining costs
  • Payment can be by check, debit card, or credit card
Click here to download a more detailed description

After The Evaluation

  • Parent may agree to adopt or the court may order adoption of the recommended parenting plan.
  • Parents may negotiate small changes to the recommended plan
  • If a parent objects to the plan, a multi-hour court hearing, at which Dr. Zieman may testify, is held to decide the parenting plan